Latch.



J. SHAND.

LATCH.

APPLICATION. FILED JAN. 21, 1913.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

JAMES SHANID, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 JOSEPH 1\T. SMITH & COMPANY,

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

LATCH.

Application filed January 27, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES SHAND, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to latches, and more particularly to latches of the type operated by a lever and used for carriage doors.

The invention resides in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a latch embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view looking from the opposite direction; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view with the cover plate removed. In latches for carriage doors it is very desirable to have the latch case comparatively thin or fiat so as to reduce the width of the recess within which the case is arranged. It is also desirable to provide a comparatively wide locking face on the latch bolt, but in the usual construction of latch, if the locking face of the bolt is of considerable width, the case must be comparatively thick or the angle of the incline bearing face on the latch bolt would be so great as to require considerable force to move the latch bolt inward in closing the door.

By my improved construction a wide locking face for the latch bolt is provided and the incline bearing face is of the desired angle to permit the latch bolt to be easily moved inward during latching, but nevertheless a thin casing is employed.

As shown, A designates the casing formed of a base plate B and a removable cover plate C, thelatter having projections D at one end engaging openings E in the face plate F and being secured at the opposite end by means of a screw Gr to a spacer H on the base plate. By this arrangement the plates A and B are held in proper spaced relation.

I is a latch bolt having a head J engaging a recess K in the face plate and provided with a shank recessed at M to receive the actuating lever L. In order not to increase,-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Serial No. 744,428.

the thickness of the case, and at the same time have the intermediate or recessed section of the shank of the desired strength, the top plate is cut away as indicated at N. Thls allows the outer face of the intermedi ate section to lie in the plane of the outer face of the plate B, thereby permitting the cross-section of the intermediate section to be increased equal to the thickness of the cover plate. Further, the cut-away portion N serves the additional function of a guide for the latch during longitudinal travel of the latter.

O and P are arms or projections on the latch bolt extending laterally upon opposite sides of the cut-away portionand positioned intermediate the plates, providing bearings for retaining the latch bolt in place, and Q, is a flat rearward extension of the bolt, of a size to be positioned between the plates B and C and bifurcated to engage the spacer.

The bolt I is normally held in its pro jected position by a fiat coil spring S anchored at one end L to a projection S on the casing and having the other end I eX- tending within the cut-away portion of the plate and engaging a shoulder U on the latter. Forward movement of the latch proper is limited by the arms 0 I, which when the bolt is projected abut against the face plate, while inward travel of the plate is arrested by the spacer, which is adapted to abut against the base V of the bifurcated end and also by a shoulder W on the intermediate section contacting with the bottom X of the cutaway portion of the top plate.

As before stated, the operating lever is arranged within the recess M. This lever has its inner end pivoted at Z to the base plate, while its outer end A extends up- 9 ward and termlnates in a sultable handle (not shown). Since the recess portion of the bolt is preferably of considerable length the actuating lever would be free to play longitudinally of the recess in the projected position of the bolt. To avoid this a lug B is struck up from the base plate and positioned in the path of the lever, the lug being so arranged that it will form a stop against which the lever is held when the bolt is projected.

In order to provide a wide locking face C for the head J of the latch bolt and at the same time permit the angle of the curved bearing face E. to be sufioiently small so that the latch bolt may be easily moved inward during closing, the recessed portion K within Which the head of the latch bolt is arranged is open at the top and the locking face of the bolt positioned in the plane of the outer edge F of the face plate. By this arrangement the width of the casing is not increased nor the Width of the face plate.

It Will be noticed that the construction of latch herein described is composed of comparatively few parts, each of which maybe easily and cheaply manufactured, and furthermore, that the arrangement of the several parts is such as to permit the elements to be easily and quickly assembled, thereby reducing to a minimum the cost of manufacture.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In a latch, the combination with a comparatively thin casing, comprising spaced plates, one of said plates having a face plate extending laterally therefrom and provided with an open-ended slot, and the other of said plates having a cut-away portion providing an elongated recess having parallel sides, of a latch bolt having its locking face in substantially the plane of the free edge of the face plate, a portion of said latch bolt being arranged within the cut-away portion and having sides parallel to the sides of the cut-away portion and provided with a recess, said portion of the latch bolt having the outer face thereof in substantially the plane of the outer face of the cut-away plate, an actuating lever engaging the recessed section and pivoted to one of said plates, and laterally-extending arms on the latch bolt upon opposite sides of said recessed portion and arranged intermediate the plates.

2. In a latch, the combination With a comparatively thin casing, comprising spaced plates, one of said plates having a face plate extending laterally therefrom and provided with an open-ended slot, and the other of said plates having a cut-away portion providing an elongated recess having parallel sides, of a latch bolt having its locking face in substantially the plane of the free edge of the face plate, a portion of said latch bolt being arranged within the cut-away portion and having sides parallel to the sides of the cut-away portion and provided with a recess, said portion of the latch bolt having the outer face thereof in substantially the plane of the outer face of the cut-away plate, an actuating lever engaging the recessed section and pivoted to one of said plates, laterally-extending arms on the latch bolt upon opposite sides of said recessed portion and arranged intermediate the plates, a spacer on one of the plates, and a bifurcated portion on the rear end of the latch bolt engaging the spacer.

3. In a latch, the combination with comparatively thin casing including side plates and a face plate projecting laterally from the casing beyond one of said side plates, of a bolt slidable Within the casing having an off-set head exterior to the easing and engaged in a slot extending back from the free edge of the face plate, the locking face of said head being fiush vvith said free edge, said bolt having a portion entering a guide slot in one of the side plates.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES SHAND.

Witnesses HENRY P. FRY, HERBERT P. WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

